NEW ORLEANS - The NBA has chosen to hold the 2017 All-Star Game in New Orleans after taking the midseason event away from North Carolina because of a state law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people.

The league announced Friday that New Orleans would replace Charlotte, which had been set to host the game until the NBA decided last month to move it elsewhere.

Unlike several other Southern states, Louisiana has not been swept up in legislative efforts to pass laws similar to that in North Carolina - a fact Gov. John Bel Edwards has touted while lobbying the NBA to bring its All-Star weekend to New Orleans for a third time.

The All-Star Game is scheduled for Feb. 19, which falls during the first weekend of Mardi Gras parades.